Tonette

The tonette is a small, end-blown flute made of plastic, which was once popular with elementary school children. It has largely been superceeded by the recorder. The range of the instrument is from middle C (c1) to d2. It is also known as a song flute.

The tonette was introduced in 1938. Designed as a pre-band instrument, the tonette was unbreakable, chromatic, and tunable. The instrument was easy to blow and the fingering was simple. By 1941, over half of the grammar schools in the United States had adopted the tonette as standard pre-band equipment. The tonette's pleasant flute-like sound was also used for special novelty effects in radio, television and film. In World War II, the armed services found the tonette to be an inexpensive and entertaining way for idle troops to pass the time.